


The Rare Pair Files

by Ashynarr



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Drabble Collection, Multi, but still available if anyone wants to expand these or whatever, closed due to lack of author interest, will add tags as I go along
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-11
Updated: 2016-05-08
Packaged: 2018-03-11 22:22:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 15,626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3334937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ashynarr/pseuds/Ashynarr
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Since there are a lot of rare pair that are, well, rare, I decided to dedicate a little side collection of all the ones I write from here on out, however often I end up doing so. Mostly America or Canada centric pairings.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. AmeUkr: Child of Mine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Iryna (Irunya) Chernenko is Ukraine's human name (last name is Braginskaya in human AU). This is based off Hima's preferences for names (and yes I looked at those myself. I like it, alright?)

Iryna was asleep in the hospital bed, tired after the long day and the delivery. Alfred sat beside her, holding one of her hands in his own while his other arm carefully cradled a small sleeping bundle.

When he'd first learned of the pregnancy, he'd been shocked, then ecstatic. After twirling his wife around and laughing with her at the news, they'd gone out together to learn everything they (or at least he) needed to know for their future child. Iryna already had a little bit of experience with children, having helped her parents raise her younger siblings back in their snowy homeland, but Alfred was going in with no previous knowledge.

Their families and friends had been informed first thing, and with that came the flood of congratulations and various people stopping in to check in on them and the slowly growing life in Iryna's body. Loads of used baby gear and clothing had been dropped off by people who had them on hand, leaving the house in a ever-changing state of cluttered as the young couple worked hard to prepare.

Their Italian neighbor, upon hearing the news, had offered his services in painting the baby room and hadn't accepted no for an answer. The decision was a good one; neither doubted that their little girl or boy would adore the endless rolling fields and bright cheery sky, especially with the horses Alfred had insisted on running across them in wild abandon.

There had also, upon Alfred's horrified realization of just how much stuff in their house was dangerous for small children to get their hands on, been a rush to completely baby-proof the house. And maybe it had been a bit overboard to insist on padding every floor in the house in case their child fell down and hit their head, but once Iryna had taken control things calmed down long enough to finish the task.

But preparing the house wasn't all they did. The classes had been informative, if only to show how awkward the expecting father was with their 'training' child. Many a time his wife had had to step in and show him the right way to do something, leaving him blushing both in embarrassment and in the simple happiness that comes with knowing that she was with him every step of the way.

The best part of the deal, in Alfred's opinion, had been watching as her belly swelled, knowing that underneath that layer of skin and flesh was a life the two of them had made, a tiny miracle just for them. He would spend at least a little time everyday feeling the hard curve, hoping to feel the small kicks or bumps from the baby.

When he actually felt their child kick for the first time, the same swell of excitement had gone through him as he'd locked eyes with Iryna's own. That was about the time the two had started talking to her (a girl! Their little princess!), telling their child everything going on in the outside world and about their extended family and group of friends.

Each time he got a response in either a hand or foot pressing out, Alfred would beam and press back, launching off onto another story. Every time he finished for the day, he'd make sure to press a kiss to his wife's swelling abdomen before planting one on her lips.

Finally, the day came. The two expecting parents had been curled up on the couch with some old Disney movies playing, when Iryna had shifted uncomfortably. After another few minutes her eyes had widened, and she'd turned to Alfred and told him that her water had broken.

After a second to process it, the American had leapt up, wide-eyed himself, and proceeded to run around grabbing jackets against the evening chill and other things before helping her out to the car and rushing her to the hospital... where he'd then been locked out from the room. Which he had not been happy with even if he'd been told time and again why the husband wasn't supposed to be in the room during the birth.

He'd hesitated on calling the others due to the late hour, but eventually went through with it, knowing they'd want to be here to see the newest member of the family. The first to arrive had been Matthew, followed soon after by their fathers. Ivan and Natalya, coming from farther away, had arrived later, but still in plenty of time.

Then came the waiting game. The distracting banter had trailed off after a bit, leaving them all waiting for the news that they could come in. It was a long wait, and several of them had fallen asleep in their seats by the time the nurse had come out and given them the good news.

The hospital room felt much too small for the group huddled around the bed, but everyone wanted to talk to Iryna, who was still tired from delivery but happy to show the plastic band she'd been given while the nurse took her daughter off to be weighed and measured. After assuring them of her health, the nurse finally returned with the newborn in arm.

Alfred was the first to hold her, cradling her carefully. She was tiny, bald, pink, and still a bit wrinkly.

He was in love.

The couple had ultimately agreed to call her Anna, short for Anastasia, both a nice traditional Russian name and the name of one of Alfred's favorite characters from the movies they'd been watching. Looking at her now, asleep in his arms, he couldn't imagine a better name for his little girl. After a much-too-short moment, he handed the newborn back to his wife, who took her with a tired, happy smile much like the one Alfred had likely been wearing.

The others were shooed out now that they'd had a chance to see Anna, heading home to sleep in their own beds and start to spread the news the next day. Alfred remained, staying with his wife and daughter until the former fell asleep in the bed and only then reclaiming the bundle in her arms.

It was while he was drifting off himself, thumb idly rubbing the back of Iryna's hand while losing himself in blissful thoughts of the future, that Anna decided to wake up. Her light blue eyes blinked open, gazing up at her father for the first time.

If he hadn't already been in love, he would have fallen then and there. His hand pulled away from Iryna's to be offered to his little girl, beaming when she grasped it in her tiny hand while still looking up at him.

Even now he knew that no matter what was to come in the years and decades to come, this would always be one of his most treasured moments.

"Welcome to the world, Anna."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Personal headcanon of mine has always had Al leaning towards straight, at least romantically. Yes, I know, strange for someone who ships AmeCan as their OTP, but... I just really, really like AmeUkr (and AmeBela, but that's another story) and am completely appalled at the lack thereof of this cute pair.
> 
> This chapter was based on an image of Alfred with a newborn, and since daddy!America is sort of one of my kinks I figured – why not combine that with an underloved pair I want to write more for anyway?


	2. AmeUkr: Kiss For Luck

This was it. Today was the day America presented his Big Speech on the latest and greatest idea he and his people had to deal with climate change. It'd taken a lot of work to compile the data and get sourcing from everyone, but he finally had it ready to go!

America was the first to arrive in the meeting room that day, unable to wait until when everyone else showed. He glanced at the clock – an hour until the meeting. Had he really gotten there that early? No matter, it gave him time to set up, seeing as he was speaking first.

The whole thing was exciting and nerve wracking at the same time. On one hand, he was going to get his ideas out there sooner and give the others more time to think about them. On the other... he was first. And it was also extremely important, which naturally lent to him wondering what would happen if the others didn't like it.

He finished setting up within five minutes, fiddling absentmindedly with the clicker while double checking to make sure everything worked perfectly. No way his speech was going to fail because something didn't work!

Afterwords, with nothing to do, he decided that maybe it'd be safe for him to practice it just one more time. He'd already spent a good part of the last week practicing, but one more never hurt, right?

It was only when he finished that he realized someone else was in the room, their clapping startling him from his thoughts. Twirling around, he saw Ukraine standing there with her usual friendly smile. "Oh, hey there Irunya, didn't hear ya come in."

"It's alright; I liked your speech. It was very clear and informative."

America scratched at his cheek sheepishly. "Nah, it wasn't that good – I mean I forgot the part about the wind turbines for almost a minute, and how'll the others take me seriously if I can't even remember all the important parts?"

She stepped closer, placing a warm, rough hand on his chest. "You'll do just fine, and the others will love it." She then rose up on her toes and placed a short kiss on his cheek before pulling away from the now-flushed American.

"I- wha-"

"A kiss for luck, yes?" She smiled at him again. "And maybe afterwords we can share lunch?"

America nodded mutely, staring after the Ukrainian as she moved to her seat, not noticing the others entering the room until Germany grabbed his attention away.

As he gave his speech, he realized something – he wasn't nervous at all anymore.

Maybe that kiss was lucky after all.

(It'd definitely be something worth testing, anyway.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written after a speech class where I managed to do extremely well despite my fears; short and sweet, I suppose.


	3. AmeUkr: Rare Pair Week

*AmeUkr comfort after a nightmare*

Iryna woke to a dark room, momentarily confused as she tried to remember where she was and what had woken her, as this was certainly not her house.

There was the meeting, and she and Alfred had met up after to go to dinner, then…

Ah, that was right, she'd agreed to spend the night with him since their schedules were both open. That still didn't tell her why she'd woken up, though.

A noise behind her, too soft for anyone who hadn't raised children to hear. Wide awake now, she sat up and turned to her bedmate, who from the looks of things had not been sleeping as peacefully as she had. His head shifted back and forth slightly, fists tight around handfuls of sheet.

"Fredja…" Iryna hated seeing him like this, just as much as she'd hated her sibling's nightmares when they'd lived together. She leaned over, grasping his shoulder to wake him up-

Faster than she'd expected a strong hand snapped around her wrist, a wild gaze blindly staring back at her. She momentarily forgot how to breathe, mind thrown back to when those eyes were crueler, darker-

"I- Irunya?" And like that the memory was gone, both of them in the present again. Her wrist was quickly released, allowing her to rub some blood flow back into it while Alfred determinedly looked anywhere but her. "Sorry about that…"

"It's fine." Her hand returned to his shoulder. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, it was nothing, really." His gaze returned to hers, quietly asking her to not press further.

With a quiet sigh she conceded - she could always ask when the dream wasn't so fresh in his mind. "Do you want something to eat?"

Alfred shook his head. "Nah, too tired. Maybe when it isn't two in the morning…"

"Alright." She settled back under the covers, scooting close so she could press her back against him. After a moment he rolled to face her, arms settling around her waist and breath pressing her hair down.

"Night…" He mumbled into her hair.

"Dobranich..." She replied, her hands resting against his.

For now, this would be enough.

~0~0~0~0~0~

Their first Thanksgiving is awkward; after all, this was the first time both their immediate families had met since the wedding, and now they were expected to eat together while knowing little about each other.

Natalya doesn't speak a word to anyone other than her siblings, Ivan and Matthew seem to be having a silent glaring contest after someone was unfortunate enough to bring up hockey, and Arthur and Francis had long disappeared to do things Alfred didn't want to think about.

Iryna places an apologetic kiss to his cheek, along with a promise that her family would be much better behaved come Christmas time; Alfred couldn't promise the same, but he could at least make sure the alcohol would be kept to a minimum so as to avoid anything worse.

~0~0~0~0~0~

*AmeUkr family meeting*

Alfred's the first one to tell his family about his girlfriend. He'd been considering proposing to her first, but he'd wanted to be sure she could handle his family before she was stuck with them for the rest of her life.

(She'd laughed at that, saying that if anything she was the one who should be worried for him when it came time to meet her younger siblings.)

Two things had kept him from bringing her around before now besides that, though-

One, it'd kept slipping his mind in the past couple of months they'd been together and getting to know each other. And two…

"Bienvenue! C'est fait trop longtemps* - and who is this with you?" A charming grin was directed at Iryna, who flushed lightly at the attention.

"I know, I've just been really caught up with things lately. This is Iryna, my girlfriend."

"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Bonnefoy." Iryna greeted.

Alfred didn't think he'd ever seen his French father as surprised as he was then. "Quoi? Girlfriend? And you never thought to bring her over before now?"

And with that the two were shooed in, Francis chattering away in fast French while he directed them to the living room.

"You two stay right there, I simply must make something to celebrate!"

Alfred laughed softly once the older man had disappeared, turning to Iryna with a sheepish grin. "Yeah, that's papa for you. He's pretty cool usually, but he's been hoping for me or Matt to bring someone home for forever."

"He seems nice." Nothing for Alfred to be worried over, anyways.

"Just wait until he corners you." The American grimaced. "He used to be a cop before he decided to open his pastry shop - he's super protective of the rest of us."

Iryna smiled, placing a kiss to his cheek. "It should be alright - I don't have anything to hide."

"Just warning ya now."

"What's this about a girlfriend, Alfred?"

Both of them turned to look in the doorway, where Alfred's other father was now standing. The Brit's gaze slid from his son to the other, face softening slightly.

"Ah, hey dad, this is Iryna."

"Hello, Mr. Kirkland." She greeted.

"Hello to you as well, Miss. I hope my son hasn't been too much of a pain in the arse to you."

Alfred's cry of denial was covered by her laugh. "I promise he's been nothing but sweet to me, sir."

Arthur grinned lightly. "I suppose that's one thing he hasn't muddled up, then. Hopefully he has the sense to hold onto you."

"Wow, love you too, dad."

"Alfred, Arthur, aidez moi pour un minute s'il te plait.**" Francis called from the kitchen.

With a groan, Alfred rolled off the couch, placing an apologetic kiss to her nose. "Be right back."

"Are you sure I can't help?" She asked, starting to get up, but he shook his head.

"Kitchen isn't that big, and I'll probably only be there for like a minute tops."

"Alright." Iryna waited for the two to enter the other room before pulling out her book. She'd only made it through a few pages before the couch beside her dipped again.

"Sorry about that, babe. Pops needed some help with mixing some things."

"It's fine." She didn't look up from her book, although she frowned lightly at the slightly - off tone to his words. When his hand settled onto her thigh, she knew something was wrong even before she finally looked up into eyes that were just a shade too dark.

Alfred returned just in time to see his twin, mysteriously dressed in a near-matching outfit to his own, cussing in French while trying to breath through his mouth thanks to Iryna casually pinching his nose shut. His cackling laughter at the sight prompted her to look up from her chastising, smiling at her actual boyfriend's amusement. "Does your brother do this often?"

"Only when he thinks he can get away with it. He's more of a flirt then pops, the jerk, and he uses my face to do it."

"I see." She released his nose, standing up to move next to Alfred while Matthew rubbed at the abused area. "I suppose he didn't realize I know you very well by now?"

"He probably does now." The American's grin was only matched by his brother's pout. "Oh, that reminds me, lunch is done."

With a small laugh Iryna followed her boyfriend into the dining room, hoping lunch would prove to be as interesting as the first meetings had proven to be.

[*Welcome home! It's been far too long.]

[**Alfred, Arthur, could you come help me for a moment?"]

~0~0~0~0~0~

*AmeUkr magical girl Iryna*

It's the sound of car horns and screaming that grabs their attention, interrupting the casual discussion Alfred and Iryna had been in the middle of while they were eating lunch. A fast look out the cafe window showed several of those smaller monsters that'd been harassing the city lately causing havoc, throwing cars every which way and scaring the populace.

It was a small miracle someone hadn't been hurt yet from the looks of things.

Iryna stood quickly, biting her lip in a mix of worry and frustration at a very nice date being interrupted yet again. Really, one of these days she would sit some of those long standing villains down for a nice long chat about courtesy. "I'll be right back."

Alfred glanced over to her, grinning slightly. "Don't take too long."

"It will only be a minute." With that she quickly made her way to the bathroom before transforming into her battle outfit (which, no matter what the others joked, was actually very modest and comfortable). She snuck out the back door, reading her staff before quickly darting into the fray.

Alfred, meanwhile, sat back with his drink, watching the battle with a casual air reserved for someone who was used to this. Which he was, though not for the reason he claimed. He'd told his friends (and girlfriend) that he simply happened to always be nearby when all the action was happening, so he was more excited than scared to see what he called 'the most awesome superhero ever' in action.

In reality, it was because he knew his girlfriend would take care of things well before he or anyone was in critical danger. Yes, he knew that Dame Freya was actually Iryna, although to be fair it'd taken him a month or so of dating her to realize it.

He'd considered confronting her about it once he'd realized it, but he figured there were reasons she hadn't said anything about it and decided to simply let her tell him in her own time. Meanwhile, he'd cheer her on while also continuing to be the sweet, protective boyfriend she enjoyed spending time with.

(Alfred found it absolutely hilarious that even though they both claimed he was the stronger of the two, she was clearly the one who could kick his ass any day of the week without even mussing her hair.)

With a final blast of ice the last of the monsters was gone, and with no appearance of their master Iryna assumed that the man wasn't going to show today. All the better for her, as that meant she could still salvage the afternoon. She snuck back into the bathroom and changed back to her normal outfit, sitting back down at the table. "Did I miss anything? It looks like the monsters are gone now."

"Yeah, Dame Freya showed up and kicked their asses! Too bad you weren't here to see it."

"Maybe next time." She hedged, relaxing at the friendly laugh as their conversation slowly resumed.

One of these days she'd tell him, she decided. But for now, normalicy was appreciated in as chaotic a life as she lived.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for Rare Pair Week a while ago. Nothing special, just a few more AUs.


	4. AmeChu: Scars

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey look, different ship! Canonverse fic. Inspired by a RoChu prompt on the Km.

Alfred sighed, wondering just what he was going to cook. Normally this wouldn't be an issue for him - when in doubt, heat up tv dinners and whatnot - but seeing as he had a guest over, he had to consider them first.

' _Nothing with milk,_ ' He frowned; that was something he'd found out the hard way with Kiku, and he didn't feel like repeating the mistake here. ' _Probably no burgers, either._ '

He wasn't going to even attempt making anything 'traditional'; not only would it probably not end well, he was fairly sure Yao wasn't the type to eat knockoffs of his own country's food when he was visiting other countries, no matter how prevalent it might be. And though his own burgers wouldn't be anywhere close to as cheap or fast as those in his fast food restaurants, he was fairly certain the older Nation would not be eager to take the chance.

Maybe another time. Alfred sighed again, deciding to cut his losses on a surprise and see if Yao had any preferences for food.

"Hey, Yao?" He asked, tapping once on the guest bedroom door even though it was cracked open. "You in there?"

"Yeah," He heard from inside. "Come in."

Alfred pushed open the door, stopping briefly while Yao looked up from his book.

"You wanted something?" The elder Nation asked, snapping Alfred attention away from the other's bare chest, flushed with embarrassment.

"I was just wondering if there was anything specific you wanted for lunch, or...?"

"No, nothing specific," Yao replied.

"RIght then, I'll just go and figure something out then…" Alfred backed out of the room, really wishing he hadn't gotten caught staring, only to stop when Yao spoke up again.

"Kiku."

The non sequitur caught the American flat footed as he turned back to the older man. "Huh?"

"The scar you were looking at. It was… unexpected."

"...oh." Sometimes he forgot the other Nations had their own issues with their pseudo-families too, and that it wasn't just his own fucked up group with their murky histories together.

Yao smiled, just a touch thinly. "I know you're young, so you probably haven't had to deal with it as much, but it happens to all of us eventually."

Alfred would have protested vehemently at any other time about being treated as ignorant just because of his youth, but the normal energy was nowhere to be found this time. "...my revolution."

Yao blinked, smile fading as he stared at the younger Nation. Alfred sighed, pulling up his shirt to reveal his own collection of battles. "The one on my shoulder, here-" He tapped at his right shoulder. "Arthur ran me through with a bayonet; didn't realize it was me at the time, or he probably would have held back. Maybe not, I dunno, it was a mess back then."

The Chinese man nodded in understanding, glancing towards the other shoulder. "The burn?"

"Washington, 1814." Alfred smiled wryly. "Arthur got payback for what I did to Matt in York. Same place and everything."

Yao hummed in thought, eventually lifting and turning an arm to show his own burn scar. "First use of napalm; I messed up the composition and it backfired on me. Luckily this was the worst I got, but it was close."

Alfred winced in sympathy - he'd used incendiaries once or twice, and the idea of one backfiring on him was not pleasant in the least. "Yeah, I feel you there."

Yao glanced down towards Alfred's waist. "And that one? Seems fairly recent..."

"Huh?" Alfred glanced down, where he could see the still slightly inflamed mess of a scar across his waist, like someone had tried to gut him. "...my Civil War."

The older Nation's gaze snapped back up to him, frowning. Alfred continued, smiling wryly all the while. "All but tore me in half, actually. And the issues it was supposed to solve are still around, so…"

The American shrugged, letting his shirt fall back down. "I know I'm still a kid, but I've been through my own rough patches. Maybe not as bad as what you've all been through, but I've earned my status just fine."

"...Sometimes, I think we all like to forget that…" Yao remarked quietly, more to himself than anything, before recentering his gaze on Alfred, smirking lightly. "Weren't you supposed to be making lunch?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'll get on it," Alfred waved a hand, letting the last of the conversation fade away for now. "Maybe I'll just make soup so I don't ruin your dentures."

"Aiyaa! Rude little brat!" Yao fumed, throwing a pillow at the laughing American just as he hastily shut the door.

Alfred let the grin stay as he went back downstairs, feeling a bit like he'd gone up a notch or two in the eyes of one of the elder Nations. It wasn't much, but he hadn't been lying when he'd admitted to still being a kid; he still searched out the approval of those older than himself, even though as a superpower it was dangerous.

But with the look in the ancient's eyes when he'd skimmed over his civil war… maybe it wouldn't be as hard to get as he'd feared.

(In the end, he made burgers, because there was no way he was going to let the other remain unaware of the joys of a real home-grilled burger another day. The shock on Yao's face when he tried it was so worth it.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lot of these fics will probably be Ame/Other, but I also plan on having a few Can/Other ships as well. They do have friends and relationships outside of their immediate family and Russia, after all.
> 
> (I just am sorta more an Ame fangirl than a Can fangirl in the end, ahaha...)


	5. RusAmeCan: Cold War Turned Hot (Redux)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Actually a rewrite of a prompt I filled two years before. Basically, Alfred and Ivan get turned into women, but there was another more... interesting... side effect to go with it.
> 
> Posted July 16 2014

By the time Alfred could form a complete and coherent thought again, he'd already retrieved his gun from where it'd fallen to the floor, hands shuddering under its negligible weight while he leaned against the wall. The barrel was pointed vaguely towards the crumpled form of his long-time nemesis Ivan, who had yet to move from where he'd collapsed to the floor.

The American growled, wondering briefly why his body didn't feel right even as the major aches faded away, which seemed to be enough to alert or wake the larger Nation. Through a similar groan of pain to his own, the man slowly got his hands under him, unaware or uncaring of the weapon levelled shakily at him as he forced himself to stand.

Strange, was Ivan always so small looking in that coat?

"Well," A Russian accent, just a pitch too high, murmured in what could have been amusement or weariness. "This is an interesting predicament."

"Yeah, well, that's what you get for coming into my house uninvited and messing with my stuff." Alfred's voice came out no better, giving the younger Nation a sinking feeling even as his enemy finally turned to look at him.

"I believe this is your, ah, companion's stuff, not yours, Amerika." Ivan gave the other Nation a very obvious look up and down. "Though, I must admit the results aren't the worst they could have been."

"Stop looking me over, commie." A fast glance down confirmed that indeed there had been - noticeable - changes to his body, a fast glance back up to the other confirming he likely wasn't alone in them. "You're just jealous you couldn't look this good as a chick."

The Russian simply chuckled, turning more fully towards him while raising a hand towards the flap. "I hardly believe I am the one suffering from jealousy here."

Alfred had to admit, as the coat dropped away, that his enemy wasn't - unattractive. Sure, Ivan as a woman was no less intimidating than Ivan as a man, but there was something a bit… softer that on anyone else he would have been more than happy to indulge in.

But this was Ivan, he reminded himself firmly, raising his gaze back to the other with a bored expression in place. "You make a damn ugly women, hate to say it."

The other Nation, however, did not seemed to be fooled by the bluff, stepping closer and resting a hand on the wall just above his shoulder, and when had Alfred lowered the gun to allow the other so close? "You say that, but your expression tells me quite another."

The American could feel his nerves alight as the other's cold breath brushed his face, sending a shudder of disgust down his spine as his grip loosened further on the weapon, only to retighten with a half-hearted glare. "Fuck you, you commie bastard."

With a positively wicked grin, Ivan leaned forward, until they were almost nose to nose. "It would be my pleasure~"

To his credit, Alfred had intended to shove the other off the second he realized the older Nation's intentions, but his grip on Ivan's shirt simply pulled him close instead of forcing him away, locking their lips together in near-desperation. Damn, was Ivan actually a decent kisse- wait, no bad thoughts,  _bad thoughts_.

Considering his body was clearly no longer under his control and figuring it would be better to roll with it, the American pulled away far enough to growl out, "Like hell I'm letting you top me in anything."

"We'll see," Was all the reply the young Nation got before he was shoved back into the wall, gun forgotten as he pushed back (certainly not closer) against Ivan's body. His entire body felt like it was on fire, his skin itching and demanding friction of some sort and oh was he ever tempted to fly up north to throw himself into the first lake he could find or continue snatching the limitless cool of his enemy's body-

Or, he realized the moment he heard the door open, both of them turning to see Matthew's greeting die on his lips at the compromising position the two were in, he could just have a bucket of ice water horror dumped down his shirt. That worked too.

"Matt, wait-" The door was already shut even as Alfred shoved Ivan off of him, more horrified with the idea of his brother misinterpreting what had just been happening than - well, what had just been happening. Making out with an enemy was one thing, but god  _forbid_  the rumors ever reach the ears of anyone else-

Even with a shorter build, Alfred still had the strength and speed to easily catch his brother, pinning him against the wall and panting with the effort of several dozen miles rather than a few yards. It didn't help that his brother's skin was wonderfully cool against his quickly reheating skin, distracting him for a moment before he remembered what he was doing.

"I swear, back there was just- I caught the Ruskie messing around with Tony's things, and I called him out, and he dropped - fuck, I don't even know, I only saw it for a second before it broke - and the next thing I know I look like this and everything's fucking burning and I don't think either of us are in our right minds right now - not that the commie ever was, but-"

"Alright, I get it," The Canadian interrupted, and when had Alfred started leaning so close? The American pulled away, shaking his head to try and clear it with little effect.

"I honestly was figuring you two were about to brawl," Matthew continued, looking a bit sheepish. "I didn't have time to really - see anything other than him pinning you against a wall. I decided I really didn't want to get involved if you two started fighting, so I just left."

"...oh." Now Alfred felt a bit foolish at jumping to conclusions, giving in and letting his head fall against his twin's shoulder. "Fuckin' A, I can't  _think_  straight like this…"

"You need some water? Aspirin? A shower?" His brother's hands rubbing circles on his back had never felt so-

" _God_ , yes." Hopefully once he could think coolly again he could figure out a way to reverse this mess or at least make use of it more effectively than he was now.

"You know," Ivan spoke up behind them, causing the twins to shudder in sudden shock at being caught. "There are more… efficient ways to deal with this, as I'm sure you are aware by now."

Alfred shuddered as a cold hand settled on his back near Matthew's, gently pushing him forward and making him much too aware of both bodies next to him-

"Fuck off, commie."

The American could almost feel the smirk, mostly by the way Matthew shuddered against him.

"You first, Amerika."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, if you can't tell, this is a rewrite of sorts of a drabble I didn't post here because of its age and general suckiness – yes, one of the first drabbles I ever wrote for this fandom, and interestingly posted exactly two years ago from today (July 16th). It's so strange to see how my writing style has evolved since way back then, and I suppose that this is the writing equivalent to those art redraw things you see on the internet sometimes.
> 
> Bluh, nowadays I probably wouldn't normally fill a prompt like this, but the challenge was... well, I guess it came out alright. I still haven't practiced writing Ivan, though, so laughs.


	6. AmeHun: The Great Escape

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Erzsebet is my personal name for Hungary, seeing as that's the actual Hungarian variant of Elizabeth. Short, silly little piece.
> 
> Posted March 3 2015
> 
> Updated March 5 2015

"It's an important social event, Alfred," The American grumbled under his breath. "You can't keep skipping it to play video games."

Like every other time one of these big international balls was held, Arthur had not so discretely bothered Alfred about going to them to socialize and work on bettering relations with the others. And, like almost every other time before now, Alfred had attempted to squirm out of going, either through sudden vacations, emergency paperwork, or in one case an alien kidnapping Tony had been willing to stage for him.

"I don't care if you find it boring, you're going to this one whether you like it or not."

However, none of those had worked this time, mostly because Arthur had cheated and recruited the First Lady into getting him to come. With that in mind, it wasn't hard to see why he'd resolutely thrown himself into one of the seats in the corner as soon as he'd gotten all pleasantries out of the way. If it had been any other kind of party he'd be more than down from socializing, but the International Balls could honestly be called International Bores for how uninteresting they were.

"And you'd better show up in appropriate attire, or I will be having words with you."

The music was always classical, which he could tolerate in fifteen minute chunks, but ten hours was way past his limit. No one was up for chatting about anything other than politics and economy since they didn't want to annoy their bosses who were also there. To top it all off, the food was always that collection of little bite sized snacks with all the fucking weird ingredients that tasted like it was made of wax.

Ulgh.

"It's not like these events are a waste of time or anything," Alfred continued to mock his older brother under his breath, having long ago twirled his chair around so he was slumped backwards on it. "Or that Alfred might be avoiding them because he doesn't feel like dealing with politicians all the damn time. No, that couldn't  _possibly_  be the case."

"Having fun over here?"

The American yelped and jumped, almost falling backwards off his seat before catching himself. "Don't sneak up on me like that!"

"I hardly think I was sneaking," Erzsebet pointed out, leaning back against the wall beside him while holding back laughter. "You were the one busy talking to yourself."

"Yeah, well, shutup." Alfred muttered, slouching back into his seat with a sigh. "Why're you even over here and not hanging out with the others?"

"Officially, it's because I told Arthur he was probably the last person you wanted to see right now and that I'd rather avoid having part of the building destroyed when you throw a table through the wall."

"That was one time, and I still blame Gilbert for scaring me." Alfred flushed.

She snorted in amusement. "I think we all figured that when we saw him huddled on the floor after you threw the 'haunted table' out the window."

"What's the unofficial reason then?"

Erzsebet hummed. "You don't think you're the only one bored out of their minds here, do you?"

"No," Alfred shook his head. "I figured there were a few others. I just figured no one else wanted to admit to it."

"Trust me, everyone would be happier without these, I think," She waved a hand out to the crowd. "Unfortunately, this is one of the only places we can get certain Nations to talk to each other without them immediately fighting, so we have to keep having them until everyone's dead or we've somehow achieved world peace."

"Twenty bucks on which one it'll be." The younger Nation offered with a chuckle.

"No bet. I can't even imagine some of these people ever getting along without adult supervision." She shot back.

"You mean like you and Sorin?" He teased.

"...point." Erzsebet conceded with a hinted blush.

"I still don't see why it always has to be like this, though," Alfred complained, waving out to the room. "Like, can't you vary up the music at least, or maybe have something made with foods normal people can recognize and digest?"

"It's the only thing everyone agrees they won't fight over, sadly; we actually tried electronic one year, and we didn't even get twenty minutes in before Yao and Arthur got into a row over whose artists were better that ended with a ten Nation brawl."

"Yeah, I think I heard about that from Mattie, actually," He nodded thoughtfully. "I thought it was like an after-party thing, though, not the actual event."

"Doesn't Ludwig wish?" She glanced back to the rest of the room, gaze flickering around before a satisfied grin broke across her face. "Good, no one's looking."

"Wha-" Was all Alfred had time to say before she grabbed his arm, tugging him out of the chair and through the side door near them. He blinked several times before he realized she'd shut the door behind them, sighing with relief as her back pressed against the wood.

"It'll take them a few minutes to realize we're gone. What do you say we get out of here before anyone starts looking?"

"I think I like your style," The American grinned. "Lead the way, since this is your place and all."

"You're too kind," Erzsebet replied with her own grin, grabbing his hand to lead him down the hall towards the exit. "I know the best gay bar they'll never think to look at..."

Alfred felt a bit in over his head at those words, but trusted she knew what she was doing.

(At the least, anything had to be more interesting than  _this_.)

~0~0~

"This," Erzsebet told Alfred proudly. "Is the Alterego Bar and Lounge, also known as one of my favorite places to unwind on the weekends."

"Sounds more like a dance club to me," Alfred nodded, making our familiar music emanating quietly from inside. "Is that Prince?"

"Oh, it must be retro night!" The Hungarian woman grinned, humming a bar before leading Alfred up to the front door, greeting the door guard cheerfully. "How've you been?"

"I've been well," The women returned warmly. "And you?"

"Considering I just escaped from boredom with my friend Alfred here," The American waved at the introduction, a bit embarrassed at the sudden attention. "I'm going to be doing much better with a drink or two."

"If he's as well behaved as the last one you brought through, there shouldn't be a problem." The guard agreed after a bit, waving the two in without issue.

"Last one?" Alfred asked, shaking his arm out after being dragged several blocks while looking around, already humming along to the next song coming over the speakers.

"Feliks," She told him, making her way over towards the bar while stopping to chat with her people, many of whom greeted her as an old friend.

It was fairly obvious she hadn't been lying about being a regular here, not that he doubted it, and he briefly wondered if they might even know who she actually was before figuring it didn't matter much to him. "Ah."

"Hey!" She leaned over the counter, waving down the bartender. "Usual for me, and another one for my friend!"

"It's not too alcoholic, right?" Alfred asked, waiting beside her while looking around the bar, smiling a bit weakly at the appreciative looks being sent his way. "I'm not in the mood to get drunk today."

"Not even after what we just escaped from?" Erzsebet asked, turning to look at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Especially because of that. If I'm drunk when Arthur finally finds me, I'm gonna have a headache for  _days_."

"I can't believe you let him boss you around so much sometimes," The Hungarian woman shook her head, turning back to the bar just in time to grab their drinks, handing over his while sipping at her own. "You know I thought you two were dating for almost a decade?"

Alfred almost choked on his drink, thankfully having not taken a sip yet. "Me and Artie? Oh my god, he  _raised_  me."

"That didn't stop Lovi and Toni." She pointed out in amusement.

"They're European, I expect that sorta weird shit from you guys."

"Rude." Erzsebet made a flippant gesture at him.

Alfred snorted, taking another sip of his drink before continuing. "Not to mention I sorta fought two wars with him just to get him to leave me alone, because he's a possessive bastard who doesn't know when to step back and realize he doesn't have the right to tell me what to do anymore."

"That would make thing a bit awkward," She conceded.

"Ya think?" The American shook his head, finishing off the drink and setting the empty glass down, waving away a refill. "It'd be like if you and Ivan started dating or something."

Erzsebet winced at the mental images. "No thank you. I already had to deal with that when I married Roderich, and he wasn't even nice about it."

"I think you mentioned something like that when you came by in the 20s, actually," Alfred mused.

"There's a reason I pretty much only date women nowadays," She finished her own drink as well, gesturing for another before turning back to him.

"Women are definitely a lot nicer to look at," He agreed. "Though I haven't had time for that sorta thing lately."

"Really?" She tilted her head in askance. "That much work?"

"World superpower," He pointed out with a shrug. "Everyone wants my time and money, so I sorta want to be alone when I have free time."

"Huh, never would've pegged you for that." She hummed, looking around the bar again and waving at a familiar face or two. "If you want, you can take a vacation here for a few days, relax, see the sites, maybe unwind with someone."

"I'll take the vacation, but pass on the other bit," He ducked his head a bit. "I don't exactly do well with humans, what with the whole, y'know, flinging tables issue."

"Oh?" Erzsebet paused, thinking of how that translated, and paled just a bit. "Oh."

"Yeah, oh." Alfred quirked a wry grin. "And like I said, most of the time, when the others want to talk to me it's all about business and trade and all that junk; aside from Mattie and Toris, I can't usually get them to take a break and chat for a while instead."

"That sounds awful," She sympathized. "How do you handle it?"

"Just enough vacation time to keep me from snapping and starting world war three, plus a lot of extended visits to my states that sometimes end with me mysteriously vanishing into the wilderness for a few weeks."

"Very mysterious, I'm sure," She laughed quietly. "Anything else?"

"Well," He hummed, attention drifting back to the bar around them. "Sometimes I also put on old music and just let loose for a while."

"Oh? Like what?"

"Just whatever I'm in the mood for. Lately I've been on a swing kick, but it's sorta hard to Lindy Hop when you don't have a partner to do it with, and Mattie's never been a fan of the style."

"That was a fun dance," Erzsebet agreed. "I haven't had much practice with it lately - Ludwig isn't exactly the most eager of dance partners."

"That's a right shame there," Alfred sympathized. "As I recall, you were a damned good dance partner yourself."

"You flatterer," She teased, grinning. "Are you asking for a dance?"

"Maybe," Alfred shrugged. "That is, if you're in the mood next time you come by."

"I have a better idea," She leaned closer to whisper, mischievous grin in place as she finished her second drink and disappeared into the crowd. The American raised a brow but stayed put, wondering just what she was up to, before the music came to a brief pause.

A grin stretched across his face as the beat picked up, his foot tapping to the rhythm as she reappeared with a grin. "Called in a favor?"

"Maybe," She replied with a laugh, grabbing his hand and convincing the crowd to clear room so they could start their dance, the two laughing with abandon as they threw themselves into the music.

At some point others who knew the dance joined in, those who didn't either watching or making enthusiastic attempts at mimicry, but the duo who'd started the event were too busy reviving old nostalgias to laugh about it.

("We should definitely get together and do this more often," Alfred commented later, eyes bright with newfound liveliness.

"That sounds like a plan to me," Erzsebet agreed, still catching her breath but grinning cheerfully.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Right, so after four score and twenty years, I'm finally getting back around to updating this, whoo! Someone requested AmeHun, so that's what I got to first, but I WILL get to other requests in the order I get them, alright?


	7. Nyo!AmeIta, Nyo!CanMano: Post-Hockey Date

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just mixing it up a bit by writing some Nyotalia that isn't 'take the male couples and slap boobs on them' style that a lot of the fandom uses. 
> 
> Chiara=Nyo!Romano, Tullia=Nyo!Veneziano, Emily=Nyo!Canada, Eleanor=Nyo!America
> 
> Posted April 9 2015

The two women stared each other down, determination burning in their eyes. This was the moment where, once and for all, their battle for dominance would be settled in one of their favors.

"I've got this in the bag," Eleanor taunted, sweat beading down her face and neck as she grinned wildly.

"You  _wish_ ," Emily shot back, grinning just as fiercely from behind her own mask.

At some unspoken signal they slammed together, their hockey sticks clashing as they tried their best to get the puck out from control of the other. It only took a few seconds for it to shoot off from between them, the two shoving apart to go after it.

Emily reached it first, spinning and driving her stick into it with as much momentum as she could manage, sending it down the rink past her sister and grinning at the minor loop it threw the other woman for. Eleanor didn't remain fooled for long, driving past to claim it before the other Nation could take control again and sending it on a wild shot down the rink.

It ricochet off one of the side posts before hitting the net, leaving the American to cheer as she slid backwards into the far wall with a breathy laugh. "Victory is mine!"

" _Tabernac_ ," Emily swore, pulling off her helmet as she skated over, shoving her sister in the shoulder before offering a hand. "I thought I'd get to it first."

"That's what you get for being cocky," Eleanor grinned back, grasping the hand for a minute before letting it drop. Turning to the stands, which were mostly empty, she waved while laughing. "Hey, did you see me kick ass?"

"You did great!" Tullia cheered, bouncing up from her seat and clapping while her older sister Chiara rolled her eyes, but both of them were smiling as their girlfriends skated over to the doorway leading out of the rink.

"What, no cheers for me?" Emily pouted as she and her sister put their blade covers back on before making their way up the steps.

"I thought Canadians were supposed to be the good ones at hockey," Chiara quipped, getting up to meet the Canadian halfway before pressing a kiss to her cheek, her nose wrinkling after as she shoved away. "You stink; take a shower already."

"Rude," Both Emily and Eleanor responded at once, sharing an amused look before the southern Nation turned back to Tullia.

"You don't mind the smell, right?" The American asked innocently, leaning in for a smooch and grinning as she got it.

"Of course not," The northern Italian replied, almost offended, before grinning herself. "But you might get kicked out of the ice cream shop later!"

"Yeah, yeah," Eleanor stuck her tongue out. "Be mean to your own girlfriend, I see how it is."

"They're so mean to us, aren't they?" Emily replied, wide eyes just beginning to sparkle with tears. "How did we end up with such cruel people?"

"Hey, you're the ones who asked us out," Chiara sighed, pressing another kiss to Emily's cheek before grabbing her hand. "You only have yourselves to blame for all this, but if it makes you feel better, I'll pay for it this time. But only this time, you got it?"

"Yay!" The other three girls cheered, pulling the southern Italian woman into a group hug despite the sputtering protests. Eleanor and Tullia were the first to disengage, Emily lingering a moment longer before pulling away, pressing a kiss to her girlfriend's cheek before turning back to her sister.

"We should hurry if we want to clean up before it gets too much later," She tilted her head over to the locker rooms, which also had showers they could use before leaving.

"Righto," The American nodded firmly, turning to her girlfriend and picking her up in a bridal style hold, smooching Tullia to muffle the protest. "Let's get going!"

Emily and Chiara exchanged exasperated looks before following, knowing that as crazy as their sisters were, they wouldn't trade them for the world.

~0~0~

"My turn, my turn!" Eleanor bounced in her seat, looking to her girlfriend expectantly.

Tullia laughed, dipping her spoon into the slowly melting chocolate scoop of their sundae and offering it to the younger woman, who leaned over to close her mouth around it with a satisfied hum. "This was a great idea."

"Of course it was," The American beamed, licking at a stray drip from the corner of her mouth but only smearing it. "I came up with it after all!"

"You missed a spot," The Italian women grinned before leaning over, pressing a long kiss to the side of Eleanor's lips just to lick away the last trace. "There!"

The two burst into soft laughter, their sisters across from them content to leave them be as they occasionally traded bites of their own post-hockey treats.

"You always get the sweetest thing on the menu," Chiara complained after another bite, though the tease of her lips removed the bite from the words.

"It just seems silly to get ice cream and not get the sweetest thing on there," Emily protested, though she was smiling as well as she took her own bite of her ice cream. "Besides, yours isn't much better."

"It's perfectly normal, thank you," The Italian woman huffed, tilting her head up to better look down on her Canadian girlfriend before dropping the silly act via a poke to her stomach. "Hey, that's cheating!"

"You started it this morning," Emily teased, waving her fingers tauntingly, as if planning her next strike. "I'm just getting my revenge while you can't escape."

"Noooooo," Chiara moaned, turning to the other two who had stopped their playing around to watch them with withheld laughter. "Don't let her do this to me!"

"I would, but that might knock over the ice cream," Eleanor replied innocently.

"And that would be such a waste!" Tullia finished, looking almost upset at the thought except for the grin she had completely failed to drop.

"Hey there, ladies," Came the last thing any of them wanted to hear from the table next to them; their humor drained away as they turned to look at the guy who'd spoken to them, sitting next to his buddies and almost leering over at them. "What brings you here?"

"Clearly the deep seated desire to be bothered by jackasses like you," Chiara replied dryly, turning back to her ice cream and taking a pointed bite.

"Hey now, don't be like that!" One of the other men complained, staring towards Eleanor's assets. "We just want to make nice."

"Do any of us look like we're interested?" Emily shot back. "Even if we were single, we wouldn't talk to creeps like you."

The men bristled, looking ready to start insulting them, but the guns Eleanor casually laid out on the table just where they could see, right alongside Tullia's flat glare and the other two's unimpressed looks, convinced them to back down for the moment.

"Where did you even hide those?" Chiara muttered in distaste, watching as the guns were tucked back where they came from. "Everything you wear is practically skintight."

"Trade secret," Eleanor winked, grinning smugly as she sat back. Tullia used the opportunity to snuggle up to her girlfriend, humming in satisfaction about the excellent day they'd all had together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, lookie here, an update! And yeah, I decided to do Nyotalia for this one because a) fandom needs more lesbians that aren't just the main Hetalia ships with boobs, and b) I rolled nyotalia drabble on my randomizer and said 'what the heck' and did it.
> 
> I'm slowly working through the requests, not to worry! I just have a lot of other things on my plate too which makes for slow updates on any one piece whoops.


	8. CanLiet: Nice Surprise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The best gifts in life are the ones you don't expect.
> 
> Posted May 26 2015

Matthew stopped just inside his front hall, inhaling deeply as he shut his eyes. A smile tugged at his lips as his eyes opened again, pushing away some of the exhaustion he felt after the last week or so of meetings and trade disputes and politics. He tossed his things to the side of the hall, stopping in the doorway to watch his boyfriend merrily hum as he worked on dinner, apron dutifully over his clothes.

It only took a minute for Toris to realize he was there, jumping a bit before relaxing and smiling again. "Oh! I didn't hear you come in."

"You should have told me you were stopping by," Matthew replied, stepping forward to accept a kiss to the cheek. "I would have brought home something nice."

"I was visiting Alfred today, actually," The brunet explained, turning back to his cooking. "We discussed some trade, I helped him move and clean a few things, then he offered me a ride up here with Tony when I mentioned I hadn't had a chance to visit you in a while."

"Guess I'll have to thank him later, then." The Canadian looked over the food. "What's that, by the way?"

"It's a dish from my place," Toris replied, pulling one of the pans from the stove as a timer dinged. "I thought you might like it."

"Smells interesting," Matthew agreed, stepping back after planting a fast kiss to the Lithuanian's head so that he could finish in relative peace. "And I've liked pretty much everything else you've made me so far."

By the time the food was ready, Matthew had actually worked up a decent appetite, the lighter atmosphere and welcome guest more than enough to wash away the worries of the last few weeks. He kissed his boyfriend again as he got his food, grinning as the other sat down next to him. "It's nice to see you again."

"I missed you too," Toris replied with a small smile of his own, taking a bite of his food and watching as Matthew sampled his dish.

"This is really good," The Canadian complemented, drawing a wider smile and a flush that the younger Nation found wonderfully adorable. "Thank you for making it; I probably wouldn't have bothered on my own."

"Long week?" The European asked understandingly.

"Very long," Matthew sighed. "Politics is a pain sometimes, isn't it?"

"It is our job," Toris replied, resting a hand on his boyfriend's. "But nothing says you can't take a break to relax and recharge, right?"

"Mmm, I just might do that," Matthew replied, turning his hand so they could mesh fingers. "Do you have any free time saved up?"

"A few days," The Lithuanian replied thoughtfully. "What were you thinking of?"

"Well, if you were up to it, we could head out west and find a nice hotel to stay in; maybe near some trails to wander, or even see if we can spend some time at some hot springs."

"All of those sound nice," Toris decided after a moment to think. "I'll have to call my boss tomorrow and ask, but I don't think there's anything big happening that requires me in Europe next week."

"It's a date then?"

"I suppose so."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a short thing cause I wasn't really sure what else to do... But hey, cute fluffy ship that doesn't get a lot of attention!


	9. DenAme: A Night In

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because not every day needs to be an adventure as long as you can spend time together at the end of it.
> 
> Posted June 23 2015

"Are you alright?" Mathias asked after the meeting let out, resting a hand on Alfred's shoulder.

"Just tired," The American replied, not wanting to admit to also having a persistent headache since he'd woken up that morning and only made worse by the raised voices of the others as they debated the latest European trade shifts. "Probably gonna head back to the hotel early."

"You looked pretty out of it during the meeting," The Danish man noted, stepping back so Alfred could push himself up from his seat. "Sure you don't wanna hit the town this evening?"

"Nah, sorry," Alfred apologized, making his way out while the older Nation kept pace easily. "I know you wanted to spend some time hanging out, but…"

Mathias shook his head. "It's fine; we can still hang out even if it's just in your room instead."

"Are you sure? I'm probably just gonna fall asleep or something." Which was even possibly true, considering he was rather exhausted powering through the day so far. He just needed an asprin first, and maybe a hug.

"Then I'll get to take lots of pictures of you and look at them later when I get home." Mathias teased, bringing his hand up to rest on Alfred's waist and pull him into a light hug when the American stepped a bit closer.

"Jerk," Alfred replied heatlessly, small grin on his face. "Always taking advantage of me like that."

"That's the least of what I do to you," The Danish man grinned fiercely, allowing himself to be tugged after his boyfriend into the hotel they were staying in for the week. "And besides, I wouldn't have a phone if you didn't like me having those pictures on me."

"More like I'll get in trouble with the boss again," Alfred shot back, though they both knew he'd do it anyways if he really wasn't happy with the situation.

"Of course," Mathias agreed, hitting the button on the elevator after they stepped inside and waiting for the door to close before turning and placing a lingering kiss to the side of Alfred's mouth. "Headache?"

"Huh?" The American asked smartly, blinking and turning to look at the other man.

"You made the same face when we left the building as you do after a night with Arthur and Gilbert at the bar. I don't remember you being out with me last night, though."

Alfred grimaced at being caught out as the doors opened again on their floor, stepping out before answering. "I think it's a cold or something - room was stuffy so I left the window open, but I think the temperature dropped too much last night cause I was freezing this morning."

"Mmm," The Dane nodded in understanding, following the younger Nation down the hall to his room and waiting for him to open it and let them in. "Doesn't sound fun."

"It isn't," The American lamented, dropping his bag and kicking his shoes to the side before wandering towards the bathroom. "At least if it was a full cold I could have gotten out of the meeting, but a headache just makes you stay there longer."

"Well it's not like we don't have good reason for that, right?" Mathias noted, closing the door behind him before kicking off his shoes and taking a seat on the bed.

"Arthur always has the best hangover complaints, it's great," Alfred laughed softly as he returned with a cup of water, downing most of it in a go before setting it on the bedside counter and taking a seat next to his boyfriend.

"That he does," Mathias agreed, pushing Alfred down before rolling over him, grinning cheerfully. "You know, I know a few good tricks to getting rid of headaches."

"Does this involve taking off my pants?" The American asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Only your shirt," The Dane replied, taking the chance to help tug said garment off after carefully undoing the tie. He then moved away and off the bed, heading for his bag. "Turn around."

" _...oh_ ," Alfred grinned in understanding, rolling so that he was lying entirely on the bed, stomach flat against the mattress.

"Yes, oh. You got anyplace that's sore while I'm at this?" Mathias asked as he returned, a bottle of lotion in hand.

"Shoulders," Alfred thought for a second, then added, "Neck too."

"Right, got it."

The Danish man started slowly, warming up the lotion in his hands before carefully rubbing his way down Alfred's back, softly kneading and testing spots for reactions and noting where his boyfriend tensed or sighed in reaction. Once he was relatively sure of where he needed to work on most, he started in again with greater pressure, thumbs and elbows and forearm pressing hard into the knots around the shoulders and methodically working them out of the muscles one by one.

Underneath him, the American squirmed and hummed, but mostly kept still while Mathias worked. His breath hitched a few times when tender spots along the spine were hit, but some gentle pressure to work around them eased him again, and soon his breath was deepening and evening out as he completely relaxed.

As the pain started to disappear entirely, replaced with cool fluidity, Alfred felt himself grin as his eyes shut, drifting on a cloud of bliss. Even the headache had long gone, the work around the neck and the darkened room helping to ease it away. As Mathias moved further down, he could feel himself drifting further and further...

After another couple minutes to go over the back and shoulders again to make sure he'd caught everything he could, Mathias sat back with a grin, happy to see his puddle of a boyfriend so at ease right now. "I think that's everything, unless you think I missed something. You wanna get something to eat?"

When he got no reply he shifted slightly to see Alfred's face, chuckling when he realized his boyfriend had completely fallen asleep somewhere along the way. Ah well, there was no harm in letting him rest a bit while Mathias ordered, and the smell of food would probably wake him up soon enough.

For now, he could rest - the Dane really needed to wash his hands before he used his phone anyways.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know a reviewer wanted DenCan, but I've had this on the backburner for a while and just wanted to get it done, so I'll get to the other thing next time probably.


	10. DenCan: Long Distance Relationship

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The distance may be long, but there's ways to work around that now, and both are grateful for it.
> 
> Posted July 12 2015

"Is the camera working again?" Matthew asked, giving a brief glance to the small device in question before returning his attention to the screen of his laptop.

In the Skype window, Mathias grinned, nodding. "Looking great; finally got it fixed then?"

"I had Alfred look at it, and he said one of the wires had disconnected. Managed to fix it in about three minutes." The Canadian relaxed, returning the grin.

"Must be useful having a techie for a brother."

"You have Berwald, though," Matthew pointed out.

The Dane snorted in amusement. "IKEA isn't exactly the same thing, even if he's scary good at building his furniture even with all the complicated instructions."

"Fair point," The younger conceded, moving the conversation on. "How've you been lately?"

"Eh, fair enough. Last meeting with the other Nordics went about as well as expected after someone let Lukas and Tino into the alcohol." Mathias shrugged innocently.

Matthew gave him a flat look. "Can't imagine how that happened."

"Neither can I!" The Dane exclaimed cheerfully. "But it sure was fun. Much better than talking about trade for the third time this week and driving me insane."

"I thought you already were insane, though," Now it was Matthew's turn to blink innocently while his boyfriend gave him an unamused look.

"Whatever lies Gilbert and Alfred have told you should be ignored for the shameful shameful lies they are."

"So you didn't write an ode to Irunya's huge tracts of land?"

"...Gilbert started that."

"I know, Alfred put it up on youtube," Matthew smiled. "It's got about thirty thousand hits so far."

"...shit, how long do I have until Ivan finds out?" Mathias looked concerned now, prompting Matthew to offer a bit of comfort.

"Don't worry, we've made sure none of them see it, though that might not work if one of their bosses ends up forwarding it to them."

"That doesn't exactly help much, thanks."

"I try," The Canadian replied cheerfully.

"So what have you been up to then?"

"Eh, paperwork, video game showdowns between me, Al, Kiku and Yong Soo; the usual."

"And the fires?" Mathias asked, frowning slightly as his gaze flickered around his screen on the other side of the ocean, trying to see something through the pixels in front of him.

Matthew sighed. "They're not dying down, but my people are doing their best to fight it back. It should burn out eventually, these things always do."

The Dane sighed. "Just lemme know if you need me there for anything, alright? You know I can tell my boss anything and be there in less than a day if I need to."

"It's fine, I promise, I already have Alfred fussing over me all the time. I swear he gets it from Arthur."

Mathias smiled at the mental image. "Two months is a long time to wait for the next meeting - you sure I can't come by sooner?"

"I'll see when I have free time," Matthew promised after a bit, glancing over to his calendar. "Maybe in a few weeks?"

"That should work," The elder pressed two fingers to his lips before directing it to the screen. "Miss you."

The Canadian repeated the gesture with a smile. "Miss you too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Way more lighthearted than the other thing I'm tossing up today. But yeah, for DenCan anon who wanted a thingy, here's s thingy, and I know it's short but I still hope u enjoy. Long Distance relationship just struck me as a thing to do while I was looking over my potential prompts.


	11. AmeBelg: Cooking Contest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes you can meet interesting people in dumb group bonding exercises, after all.
> 
> Posted July 19 2015

Ah, world bonding exercises. The ongoing attempts to get Nations to interact with each other outside of meetings so that hopefully they'd at the least become agreeable enough to get along and stop starting wars and sinking economies with their constant infighting.

Of course it hadn't quite worked out so far, but Ludwig still held hope. Somehow.

...maybe it was just desperation at this point, who could say.

Alfred kicked back in his seat, figuring that whatever was coming couldn't be as bad as the last few. Really, why had anyone thought a group pottery class would end in anything other than tears and screaming, especially when Romania and Hungary had been seated right next to each other due to some oversight somewhere?

(At least he'd been lucky to end up with Lovino that time around - their matching set of coffee cups, though lopsided just a tad, had come out beautifully compared to the mess of the next batch when someone had forgotten to poke holes in their creations. He hoped the poor couple running the place were okay; he'd even helped Ludwig pay for the damages afterwards!)

Speaking of the German Nation, he was finally coughing to get their attention, eyebrow twitching when a few Nations kept blabbing away regardless.

"Hey, guys," Alfred called out, gesturing deliberately to the man at the podium when they turned to glare at him. "Do you want to pissh im off again today?"

Ludwig exhaled sharply, nodding in thanks before beginning. "On suggestion from several Nations, it has been decided that this meeting's exercise will be a cooking contest. Your partners will be randomly assigned as always, and the ingredients and time available to you will be given after we arrived and have prepared appropriately."

The American raised an eyebrow as whispers drifted around the room - trusting some of these people with sharp objects and hot surfaces? Were they sure this was a smart idea?

(He prayed he wasn't with Arthur, if only because if this ended up requiring more cooking than baking, he'd have to scramble a lot to deal with the chaos from that.)

"The judges for this contest will be myself, England, China, and Mexico. Winning or losing isn't important here - only cooperation between teammates, regardless of what issues they might otherwise have."

Like that would happen, but best not to say that out loud. Maybe he'd get lucky and team up with Kiku or Toris? Getting Mattie was asking for a bit much, but any of them would make this a breeze, honestly.

Alfred's thoughts drifted briefly, only half listening for his name as he glanced around ,seeing many of the pleased or horrified or resigned expressions that came about as people were paired off for this exercise in futility. He seriously felt bad for Ivan and Antonio being teamed up, because as far as he was aware they had almost no tastes in common.

Then it was his turn. "America and Belgium."

Not bad, but not great, considering he… really hadn't ever spoken with her. He glanced over, seeing her own frown and frowning in reply. She probably thought he only cooked burgers or something - or perhaps that he couldn't cook at all. Hopefully he'd be able to dispel that misconception fast once they met up.

~0~0~

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Anri raised an eyebrow, watching the way her partner threw ingredients together almost haphazardly. "What if you get something wrong?"

"Well that's what taste testing is for, duh," The American replied, doing just that with his current concoction before frowning lightly. "Needs a little more salt."

"I'm just saying, if this is anything like Arthur does…"

"What makes you think he had time to teach me?" He raised an eyebrow at her. "Besides, it was a woman's job when I was under his thumb, so I only ended up learning after he got the boot and I had to look after myself 'cause Ginny was busy dealing with her state duties and stuff suddenly."

"...oh," She flushed, not really having thought about that aspect of things. "Fair enough."

"Besides, I wouldn't be representing all my people fairly if I couldn't learn to cook as many of their dishes as I could, right?" He went on, throwing in another of the oddball ingredients the groups had been allotted for their trial. "It's sorta given me a good idea of what goes well together and what doesn't, though it's really a matter of taste in the end…"

Despite herself she laughed, feeling more relieved now. "That it is; I wish half the others understood that instead of just automatically claiming theirs is the best, end of story."

"You're joking, right?" The American's lips twitched up into a grin. "The best part of all that is telling each of them you like their food best and always getting free food out of it, cause it's not like they'll ever let it slip. Even works in getting Arthur to bake edible shit, if you can believe that."

She bit her lip thoughtfully. "I suppose if anything did it, that'd be it. Still, you don't have to live with them all the time."

"True, thank God for that."

(Though they didn't win, they figured there was no harm in trading recipes afterwards, nor in just hanging out and chatting. If their brothers raised eyebrows, well, it wasn't that big a deal.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Something I've been saving for a while for reasons, and I think it came out nicely, though I probably could have expanded on things. As for what they made, I have no idea, so use your imagination.


	12. Romerica (Nyo!Ame): All The Pretty Ladies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eleanor returns to her new California home only to witness an interesting sight.
> 
> (Historical Era: 1850s)
> 
> Posted July 20 2015

Eleanor sighed, rubbing at her forehead as she walked up to the small house (well, compared to hers, anyways) that also served as the home for the newly-inStated California and a few of the newer territories that came with that decision. Really, it was a pain and a half dealing with all the Nations who had come over to get a slice of the action at the Gold Rush, doubly so because even though this was her land, they still didn't give a damn about her opinion just because she had breasts.

Ulgh. Maybe she should've kept her damn mouth shut and kept the gold for herself. At least she got useful foreign labor out of it.

"I'm back!" She called out as she opened the door, patting down her dress out of sheer force of habit. Maybe she should consider some of those jean pants while she was out in the fields, no matter how odd she'd look to anyone who came by. As far as she could tell it was a lot less annoying to deal with them if they got dirty or wet, unlike the mounds of fabric she wore normally.

It took about five seconds after she'd shut the door and taken her shoes off that her newest State hadn't come barreling in, eagerly babbling about the things she'd learned from her nanny that day. That wasn't quite the norm, though she could have been distracted or in the far part of the house.

Checking her inner senses allowed her to see the entire group was in the kitchen preparing dinner, along with another Nation- wait, what? Isabel had let a Nation in without freaking out over it? This she had to see.

Quietly making her way over to the doorway, she watched as Isabel carefully work the stove with a watchful Ms. Burgins keeping her on track. To the side, Judith and the twins Teresa and Adela (all named by a stubborn young girl who insisted that since they came from her territory that she had the right to pick their names, no matter that the latter had equally belonged to Sammy before he'd dumped them on her as a 'Statehood gift') were being entertained by one of the last guests she'd have expected.

"Romano Italy?" She asked, drawing attention of the room.

"Oh, hello," He greeted cheerfully, glancing back down as one of the girls pouted at his attention being drawn away. "I was looking for you earlier to discuss a few things for trade, but when I got you weren't in. Your State decided I could wait here until you got back since you were dealing with Spain and the others, and somehow I sort of got roped into playing with these three."

"I see," Eleanor replied, glancing to her State in askance.

"I don't mind all the other Nations, miss Eleanor" Isabel replied. "Just Spain and Mexico. And since Mr. Romano doesn't like Spain much either, I figured it'd be okay to let him stay for a bit."

The girl hesitated, now looking worried as she continued, "You aren't mad at me, right? I don't think he was on the list of Nations you didn't want here…"

"It's fine, Isabel," Eleanor offered her a reassuring smile, nodding to the nanny who relaxed before turning back to the other Nation. "I have to say I wasn't expecting guests, but if Isabel is charmed enough with you to let you in, then I suppose it can't hurt to let you stay for dinner after all the help you've provided."

He blinked before smiling again, dipping a head in thanks. "It wasn't too much of a problem; I've always found the company of such lovely ladies to be excellent company over the crowd I usually have to deal with."

The youngest three clapped their hands and giggled together, Isabel ducked her head with a small smile and a larger flush, and even the ever stern Ms. Burgins offered a smile. Eleanor just grinned, putting her hands on her hips in a way far too reminiscent of Virginia when she wasn't feeling as stern as she acted. "You might have them charmed, sir, but you'll have to do better than that to get to me."

"Oho," He grinned more widely, making him look surprisingly handsome. "Is that a challenge I smell, miss America?"

"Only if you let it be one," She replied, dropping the stance to go over and see just what her State was making and if she could help.

(As it turned out, her help wasn't needed too much, which only said good things about how quickly Isabel was learning. As a side bonus, it gave her a bit more time to thoughtfully side eye her guest for the evening, curious as to just what sort of person he was.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so I randomed for this week and 'Nyo!Ame' came up, so I figured eh why not I can do that with some Romerica. Luckily I had a good back burner Romerica prompt in the archives so I made full blatant use of it here, to good effect I think! No other update for today because I was working on my gift for the exchange (on tumblr).


	13. DenAme (Nyo!Den): Snowboarding Lessons

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The best teachers are the ones invested in your success... or at least their own amusement.
> 
> Posted July 26 2015

"Are you sure this is safe?" Alfred asked, holding onto the tree while glancing between the slope and his girlfriend.

"Of course it is," Silje replied, still amused that for all her boyfriend was good with horses, putting a plank of wood until his feet was enough to catch him up. "I come here with my friends every year, and the worst we ever got was a broken arm or two."

"That doesn't exactly fill me with confidence," He shot back.

"You told me you broke your arm twice trying to pull rodeo stunts - this is probably safer, cause the only person you can hurt is yourself, and the snow should cushion most of your falls."

Alfred gave her a look.

"C'mon, I'll be right there in case you need help up. I'll even pay for coffee once we reach the bottom so you can warm up again if you want."

The American sighed, taking a deep breath before pushing himself away from the tree and starting down the relatively friendly slope. The Dane followed after, grateful he hadn't put up a fight about starting on the easier slopes while he was still getting used to balancing on the snowboard.

He started out slow, often turning his snowboard to the side in the way she'd showed him as a way to slow down when the slope got too steep, even if it meant he instead ended up almost hitting a tree. Silje would always come to a stop nearby, making sure he hadn't actually hurt himself, before waiting for him to start up again.

Overall, it was… fun, even if it wasn't the high-speed races on the more dangerous slopes she'd done before now. SHe knew she caught Alfred grinning a few times when he managed to keep his balance for long enough to manage a fair distance, even if he usually went into a comedic flail and swerve soon after.

By the time they reached the bottom, Alfred was flushed pink from either the cold or the embarrassment of having face planted a few moments before, even though she'd swore several times that she'd done far worst her first time.

(The fact that she'd been five to Alfred's twenty wasn't really a necessary point to make out loud, and if fudging things a little kept him from sulking later on, she was all for it.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not a whole lot for this because I'm not feeling too hot today, but I think it's cute anyways? Bleh bleh Nyo!Denmark is strange to write because I've never thought about her at all before.


	14. CanBelg: New Beginnings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Matthew and Anri chat for the first time since the end of the war.
> 
> Posted July 27 2015

It was amazing how, even after years of steady decimation from Nazi occupation and British bombings, Anri still managed to keep an air of cheer about herself as she wheeled her way into the building. Then again, she'd been in the midst and on the direct sidelines of wars for centuries before he'd even been born, so maybe Matthew shouldn't have been all too surprised.

"Hey, Anri," The Canadian greeted with his own tentative smile. "It's nice to see you up and about again- er…"

"It's good to not be stuck in bed anymore," She agreed, keeping pace with his slow walk as they made their way down the hall. "The flight over was a bit shakier than I expected, but it was nice to not have to wait weeks just to get here."

"Alfred says they should be getting better now that we don't need the resources for the war anymore," Matthew shrugged. "I'm surprised your brother didn't wait for you to fly over so you could sign together."

"I told him to go ahead without me; he was getting so fussy over me and the medical bills that I figured it'd be easier to just come on my own and get him out of my hair for a while."

He glanced from her wheelchair back up to her. "I'm pretty sure it's a family thing; Lord knows how much Alfred and Arthur have been worrying over Francis since we got him back from Germany."

"And you haven't?" She asked, laughing when he flushed in reply. "I know he means well, but he can be a bit of a pain. At least my little brother isn't as bad."

"Want to trade? I'd love a couple of sane siblings for a month or two."

The Belgian woman laughed again. "No trade, sorry; I don't exactly want to live by the guy provoking our friendly neighborhood Union."

"Darn, so much for that plan," Matthew snorted in amusement, grinning.

"By the way," She asked, glancing to him. "What are you still doing here?SHouldn't you be on holiday leave?"

"I am; I've been staying with my brother for the past week to celebrate Christmas with the States, and after this the two of us are gonna be heading over to England to visit Arthur and Francis and celebrate the New Year with them."

"That sounds fun," She sighed wistfully. "My Christmas was me getting out of the hospital and convincing my boss that I needed to come over here in person to sign the charter. Took ages to do that, but it worked, obviously enough."

"What are your plans for the new year?" Matthew asked.

Anri hummed thoughtfully. "Probably going to head back home and have a small dinner with my brothers. Why do you ask?"

"I was just thinking, since the first UN meeting is going to be a few weeks after that, if you wouldn't mind my coming over to visit or something… you know, since we haven't really had a chance to talk in a while."

The Belgian woman grinned up at him. "That sounds like a great idea. Just call to let me know when you're flying over and I'll have Abel pick you up."

"Will do."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another short one, but I guess that's what happens when you write something without any sort of plan in mind. Eh, it's something I guess?


	15. KorCan: Cockblock?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yong Soo didn't get annoyed easily. This was one of those times.
> 
> Posted July 30 2015

Despite his outward cheer, Yong Soo was fairly annoyed at the moment.

Annoyance wasn't something he felt too often - he'd felt it when Japan had attacked him and big brother Yao, he'd felt it when Ivan and Alfred had thought it a smart idea to split him in two, and he felt it whenever his bosses were being especially stubborn. But like most things, the moments passed and he returned to his usual cheer for life in general.

Today's annoyance however, had less to do with politics and more to do with the people he was sitting in the diner with. Well, more person than people, but one was here because of the other, so maybe it still counted, he wasn't sure.

You see, Yong Soo had a not so small crush on one Matthew Williams, and had finally worked himself up to flying over to visit and maybe, just maybe ask him out on a few friendly lunch dates, just to test the waters. He'd had it all planned out - a week exploring the west coast and its various exhibits, even if he was sure the Canadian had seen them all before, with stops into whatever cute cafes or restaurants they could find. They would chat it up, get to know each other better, and soon the blond would be swooning into his arms.

(He even forwent the usual extravagances of his romantic dramas, mostly because a lot of the tropes weren't very applicable. There was little chance of them being related in any way, and Nations didn't get things as extreme as cancer even at their sickliest. Colds, on the other hand…)

Of course, all of those were derailed when he arrived only to find out Alfred was visiting as well, and thought it brilliant to all 'hang out together' since they were all there anyways. Had he heard about Yong Soo coming over from his brother and sniffed out his true intentions? He didn't see how, but why else would the guy attempt to come along on all of their outings like an eager puppy?

To be fair, he didn't hate Alfred - they were good friends, and played video games together all the time! - but it was getting very frustrating that he couldn't really have more than five minutes alone with Matthew without being interrupted. Really, he needed to have a talk with the American already and get this sorted out before it became a five season comedy drama where the guy always got interrupted while trying to ask the pretty girl- er, boy - down the street out.

(No, he was not obsessed with his drama shows!)

"Hey dudes, I need to use the bathroom," Alfred spoke up, having finished off his lunch already. "Be back in a sec!"

"Actually I need to go too," Yong Soo stood up as well, following Alfred until they were around the corner in the short hall to the bathrooms.

"Alfred, can we speak for a minute?"

The American blinked, looking to his friend. "Sure dude, what's up?"

"I was just wondering what brought you up to visit your brother."

"Oh, that?" Alfred grinned. "I got two weeks off of work, so I thought I'd invite Mattie to come with me on vacation somewhere, but when I you and him were gonna be exploring BC, I figured that sounded fun and I'd tag along too."

"That's it? Nothing about keeping an eye on us?" He prodded, not seeing the streaks of older brother protectiveness he was expecting in the blond's expression.

"No? Why'd I do that? It's not like you guys are sick or anything, right?"

"No, nothing like that. I was just sort of hoping I would have some private time with your brother, to put it mildly."

Blink blink. "Private time? Like, get drunk and complain about family stuff?"

...holy shit, he really didn't know. Yong Soo didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Alfred, I was hoping to ask your brother out, as in a date. Or several."

One could actually see the process of this sinking in, eyes blank for a moment before the concept clicked. "Oh."

His eyes lit up, jaw dropping just a bit. "Oh."

And then he laughed, far more amused at the situation than Yong Soo. "Oh my god, and I was just- holy shit that's amazing I can't even-"

After a minute to calm back down, lips still twitching up occasionally, Alfred turned back to his friend. "Dude, why didn't you say that earlier? If I'd known that's what you were here for, I would've just gone to visit Sue instead and left you two to it."

"You aren't going to defend your brother's honor or something like that?"

Alfred shrugged. "If I didn't know you that well, I might've been a bit more leery, yeah, but we've been friend for like a century now, so I think I know you well enough to trust you to not do anything stupid. Besides, why bother when we both know Mattie'd kick your ass before I could even catch a flight over to do it for him."

"Point," Yong Soo conceded, smiling again. "So we're alright then?"

"Pssh, never even had an issue," The American waved off. "But seriously, I still need to use the bathroom, so go back and talk to him while I'm not around. And seriously dude, just tell him what you want, it'll go a lot better than dancing around the subject and having him wondering if he's reading you right."

"Right, got it," Yong Soo felt a bit insulted that the guy who completely failed to pick up his intentions was giving him advice, before internally conceding that it would probably be a bit easier to just know now if the Canadian was interested. It would really suck to find out in a few months his friend wasn't gay, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because while there's lots of fics with Alfred being the big bad overprotective brother, there's far fewer where Alfred like genuinely respects that his brother can make his own decisions and protect himself, though he still reserves rights to kick the ass of people who hurt Mattie and didn't get enough payback from the Canadian in question.


	16. GerAme: Thks Fr Th Mmrs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When Ludwig remembers his time as HRE, he fails to remember his more modern responsibilities...
> 
> Posted July 31 2015

His head hurt and he had no clue where he was, and the light assaulting his eyes didn't help any. Rubbing at them to wipe away the worst of the tears, he took another risk looking around, trying to figure out what he was seeing exactly, because while it felt familiar he couldn't really remember seeing it before…

"Hey Luddy, you okay?" One of the men at his side asked, blue eyes wide with concern as he looked over to him, brows furrowing as he tried to place a name to him. It was about then that it struck him that he wasn't exactly a child anymore, and that there might be a reason he was having issues remembering things.

Glancing around for some sort of anchor to reality, he saw what could have been an older France, Spain, Hungary, Russia, and more, while others remained frustratingly nameless. THese were… other Nations as well perhaps? Did he know them, or-

His gaze slid a bit further and stopped along with his heart, because even though it was clearly a man standing there he could recognize those wide hazel eyes and curled hair anywhere-

"Italia? Is that you?"

There was a murmur through the hall, many glancing between the two who could not tear eyes from each other if they could.

"Yes?" The man asked, looking worried for him. "Are you alright, Ludwig?"

"I…" The German swallowed, recalling how he'd died and left her- him, him - behind for so long, his mind blurry to the details that he hardly cared about right not. "I'm so sorry."

The Italian stared at him. "Why? You were the one who got hurt..."

"I forgot. I left you behind. I'm so sorry…"

"...Holy Rome?"

All he could offer was a weak smile, because all those jumbled memories now his his head were really wearing what little focus he had away, and before he knew it he had a teary Italian in his lap, sobbing over what had been.

Of course, as focused and confounded as he was, he completely missed the blond from before quietly making his escape from the room, eyes suspiciously shiny as the door closed nigh silently behind him. Of course, he could be forgiven for missing it even without, as everyone else just so happened to be focused on the reunion as well.

' _Maybe,'_  Alfred decided outside, taking a deep breath before turning to leave. ' _This was for the best.'_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is probably the only fic I will ever write with Germany = HRE, because historically it doesn't make much sense and really people just use it to ship GerIta more. HRE died in Liechtenstein, so if anything do it with her or something. But I digress – I'm going with this old prompt because there needs to be more GerAme and I really liked having lots of Alfie feels available even if I have no clue how to write the rest of this fic right now.


	17. DenAme: Cookie Steal

Mathias paused mid-step as the scent of something freshly baked reached his nose. A glance to his right showed light pouring from the not-so-small in-building kitchen that'd been put in under the mutual consensus that sometimes they wanted to make their own lunches instead of attempting to navigate the streets of New York to find a place to eat at.

But he hadn't heard anyone planning to make use of it, and whatever had been made did smell good, so he turned on his heel and redirected himself over to the entryway. With a frown, he looked around, not seeing anyone actually in the room, even though a lot of the used dishes and ingredients were still there.

And there, on the countertop, were three fresh trays of what seemed to be chocolate chip cookies. And smelt like it, now that there wasn't a wall between him and them.

His stomach growled, reminding him that he had been on his way out to lunch, and almost felt guilt at the idea of just taking one. Surely whoever had made them wouldn't have left them out if they'd minded people giving them a try, right? If they were, he could even pay them back or something, maybe, probably.

Aw, what the hell. Mathias hummed as he walked over to the counter, snatching up one of the cookies and taking a large bite out of it. And promptly came close to weeping, because holy shit that was the greatest thing he'd even tasted in his entire life and who the fuck had made these because he was about to sell his body to them for the rest of the trays right here and now.

He was slow to finish the first bite, rolling the sweet taste around his tongue until it'd all but completely melted in his mouth. The second bite was not as huge a shock as the first, but he still took the chance to savour it, eyes closed as he leaned against the counter to enjoy his stolen treat.

When he finally finished the last of the cookie, he mourned the loss of more even as he licked off some of the chocolate that had lingered on his fingers. He looked back to the tray, even more tempting now that he knew what was waiting there so innocently, and the temptation to take just one more was growing-

"You know, you could just ask if you can have another one."

Mathias yelped, almost falling over in his haste to cover for himself before realizing who it was. "Alfred?"

The American laughed, not looking at all angry for catching him in the act. "I thought everyone had left for lunch already."

"I, ah, might have gotten caught up on my phone…" The Danish man admitted sheepishly, scratching at his jaw. "Who're those for?"

"Mostly Matt and me, but I was gonna offer the rest out depending. I've sort of been craving them for the past week, this is the most time I've had open since last month, and he'd kill me for not sharing, which is why I sorta commandeered the kitchen," The American shrugged, waving a hand to the trays.

"Ah. Reeeeeally sorry about just taking one-"

"Psh, dude, it's fine, 's not like you took them all. If you want to pay me back, though, you can help me get all these onto some plates so I can carry them back to the meeting room before people get back."

"Right, I can do tha-" Mathias started, only to be interrupted by another cookie shoved into his mouth.

"Consider it advanced payment, since the rest'll be gone fast," Alfred grinned around his own cookie.

Mathias nodded, really hoping he could bribe the younger Nation into making things like this more often, and whether or not he could be there to help out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...god it's been ages since I've really tried writing this sort of fluff. Can you tell I'm out of practice? Because I sure as heck can. Apologies for being away from Hetalia for so long, my Homestuck Month challenge + college ate away at my soul. It sucked. :Y


End file.
